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This is probably one of the best anti-Nazi films produced in Hollywood before the US entry into WWII. The film does an excellent job in a very melodramatic "MGM" way of showing how an ordinary town and its citizens willingly and some unwillingly were affected by the state policies that National Socialism brought. It's too bad that the studios didn't make more of these films in those days. A fine cast headed by James Stewart and Margaret Sullivan make this an great film to watch. Watch for early performances by actors Robert Young, Robert Stack and Dan Dailey.

If you are a true fan of human drama and don't need high-tech or low-brow eye candy to entertain and move you than this film is a must see. Although it's hard to believe Jimmy Stewart as a German, (he makes no attempt at an accent) the story is utterly compelling. The movie is ell balanced with moments of suspense, romance, tension brutality, and levity. The most refreshing aspect is the lack of gratuitous sex and violence. I love watching a film that conveys violence, love and hatred without excessive or graphic images. It's set in a university town in the German Alps along the Austrian border. It chronicles the rise of the Nazi ethic as seen through the eyes of a Professor, his children and their friends. It gives raw insight into the indoctrination of Nazi youth. It is a great story of love, suffering and cruelty. You will not be disappointed.

This film is nothing short of a masterpiece ! For its time. Although the world situation has changed completely today, and the film may have little or no relevance to the current world situation, at the time in 1940, this was a very very powerful work indeed ! I had always been curious about this film, having read the book when I was young ( in the 1960's ) and was shocked by it ! It's not a war film and it's not the war aspect that frightened me. No, its the way a happily united family can become so disunited because of politics which sent shivers up my spine !! Suddenly, a peaceful and harmonious situation changes dramatically, and you are obliged to take sides, even fighting against your own blood. It really is awesome. Acting is first-rate and image, though in black and white is more than passable for the period ! I can well imagine the film to have been a very powerful piece of anti-Nazi propaganda ! I'm sorry to have to complain about this again but here we have yet another film which should have been out on DVD for several years but ........ there's no sign of it !

Quite honestly, I found this quite unnerving to watch and felt ill at ease observing the gradual breakdown within the family. It certainly isn't a film for the faint hearted and I won't go any further than mention briefly that AWFUL final scene ........!!

I first saw The Mortal Storm when I was twelve or so and it made a huge impression on me. I've wanted to re-watch ever since and today, twenty-years later, I caught it again.

Produced in 1940, Frank Morgan, James Stewart and Margaret Sullivan head a terrific cast. This is a film which makes you think and makes you angry. Yes, it's melodramatic, but so what? It's melodrama in the best sense of the word. This is emotion serving the cause of reason, casting a shining light on darkness. This is a film which still has the power to make you sweat.

I'd like to address some of the specific criticisms made in the other comments.

Firstly, the film is set in 1933. It opens with the rise to power of Hitler, and visual references to the year 1933 appear in the film (The professor's paperwork in the prison, for instance, is dated August 29, 1933). How much time passes during the film is unclear, it is certainly less than a year, so escaping to Austria WAS still an option.

Secondly, the reason the "sons" could be Nazis, despite the Professor being "Non Aryan" was that they were his step-sons, the children of his wife's first marriage. I'm fairly certain that the daughter and younger son DID belong to the Professor, although this is not made clear.

I've often thought that the best way to see The Mortal Storm is back to back with Three Comrades. Both films are about post World War I Germany, both films from MGM, both films have Margaret Sullavan, and Robert Young in them and both directed by Frank Borzage. Three Comrades has its story take place during the Weimar Republic with the beginning of the rise of Nazism and The Mortal Storm takes place as the Nazis are solidifying their control over Germany.

Both films are about how the political changes affect some very ordinary people. This film deals with the Roth family, Frank Morgan and Irene Rich, their children Margaret Sullavan and Gene Reynolds and Irene's sons by a first marriage, William T. Orr and Robert Stack. And of course Robert Young and James Stewart who are rivals for Sullavan.

The stepsons and Young are confirmed Nazis, they see Hitler's rise to power as a great thing, that Germany will take her place among the first rank of nations. Morgan, Stewart and Sullavan are appalled by the excesses and brutality in stamping out any contrary opinions that think the Third Reich is not a good thing.

It's hard to believe, but before World War II, Jimmy Stewart was cast in a few roles that are foreign types. Later on Stewart was the quintessential American character and the public would never have accepted him. He played non-Americans in Seventh Heaven, The Shop Around the Corner, and The Mortal Storm. The last two were done to critical and commercial success. Stewart's character of Martin Breitner, a farmer who wants to be a veterinarian, is as idealistic and decent as the very American Jefferson Smith. Probably why the public accepted Stewart in this role.

Also because the entire cast is American with the notable exception of Maria Ouspenskaya as Stewart's mother. So no foreign speech pattern stood out.

Frank Morgan was usually cast at MGM as a comic befuddled buffoon. Here in The Mortal Storm he shows his great skill as a player going completely against how he was usually typed. He's a college science professor who will not teach any Nazi pseudo-science about racial superiority of the Germans. His non-Aryan, read Jewish, name is carefully noted several times though the word 'Jew' is never used.

Margaret Sullavan once again is a tragic heroine. Considering the limited amount of films she did, I think Margaret Sullavan had more screen deaths per film than any other female player. She carried an aura of tragedy about her, probably a carry over from her real life. She and Stewart make a pair of tender lovers, just as she did in Three Comrades with Robert Taylor. Their life and happiness together are sacrificed by a brutal political regime.

Note the performances of Ward Bond as the local brownshirt, storm trooper leader and Dan Dailey as the young local head of the Hitler youth. Good studies in the kind of people the regime attracted and who could rise to the top in that kind of society.

The Mortal Storm still holds up well after over 60 years, a great study in the early days of a regime that made the world suffer.

The Mortal Storm is one of the few movies which shows the shift in attitudes which occurred among the German people after Hitler came to power. Although innumerable movies have been made about WWII, very few address the issue of peer pressure and its affect on the average, non-Jewish German. As a high school teacher, I have used this film in my classes for its unique perspective, and to demonstrate that peer pressure exists for adults as well as adolescents. Although the actual sets are unrealistic by today's high standards, they are understandable given world conditions at the time of filming, and can actually add to an appreciation of the horror of the war. Viewing this film led to intense and thought-provoking discussion among my students. Any viewer with an understanding of history will undoubtedly find this movie compelling in spite of its technological limitations.

Sincere, moving story about the Nazi takeover in Germany and its affect on one family in particular. The father (Frank Morgan) is sent to a concentration camp. His stepsons become ardent Nazis, as does the man who was supposed to marry his daughter (Margaret Sullavan). This also drives a wedge between the sons and a lifelong friend (James Stewart), who is in love with Sullavan.

Beautifully acted with fine performances from all. Stewart and Sullavan are amazing. Robert Young, usually playing good guy parts, here plays a Nazi. Bonita Granville does well, as does Ward Bond in a villainous part. Maria Ouspenskaya is brilliant as usual. But the best kudos would have to go to Frank Morgan for his sensitive, intelligent performance. Possibly the finest of his career. Robert Stack also appears as one of the Nazi stepsons and plays a part in the film's powerful final scene.

This is truly a classic in every sense of the word. It's a movie that should be seen by everybody, both for its content as well as its historical value.

This is not a war film; nor a human drama; it is, however, an excellent horror movie. It is one of the best horror films ever put out by Hollywood. It could have been hokey, corny, or overly dramatic, but it is merely a statement of the realities of the time and place. Zombie and Dracula films pale in comparison to these horrors. It is the horror of the soul that is far greater than the horror of the body. A film to be cherished for the ages.

It's funny how friends can easily become enemies at the flick of the switch; here you are holding hands and drinking together to a forever lasting bond you have and in a second you don't even recognize the color of his eyes anymore - that's how much he has changed. There are multiple toxic ideas that were irrational, inhuman and cruel from the very beginning of its existence but despite that they grew in popularity, got a following and messed with the heads of so many bright people - one of those ideas is nazism. The dictionary compels me to write this word with a capital letter but I disrespectfully decline to do so. An idea that killed millions of people and destroyed so many families doesn't deserve that.

"The mortal storm" premiered on June 14th 1940 and starred Margaret Sullavan and James Stewart. The story begins on January 30th 1933, the sad day when Adolf Hitler came to power but also a cheerful and glorious day when the father of the big and strong family celebrated his 60th birthday. He had yet to realize the storm that was coming his and his family's way and to have to face it and its consequences also.

The movie was one of the first anti-nazi motion pictures that came out at probably not the best moment in history. Naturally it didn't show the whole horrible impact it had on each and every life in the country rather focusing on just one family torn apart between two worlds - those who were for and those who were against the new regime. Margaret and Jimmy's characters were among the latter and their acting, as well as all of the others, is a high point that should have brought this movie to the level of greatness it truly deserves but was unfairly lost in between more light-hearted masterpieces of Mr Stewart, "The shop around the corner" and "The Philadelphia story", that all came out 80 years ago.

We can never be ready for the mortal storm that potentially will take everything we have ever owned and loved but we should be able to stay true to ourselves, be smart and brave and never forget what a human being is and what rights he has even in the darkest hours.

Things we take for granted such as freedom to think as we believe and to express those thoughts were snatched away abruptly from the German people in 1933 when Adolph Hitler was "elected" chancellor of Germany. Freedom was replaced by the New Order and as most people know, millions of people were murdered simply because they didn't fit the racial "norms" or accept the dictates of what the government said one should believe,

It's 1933 and Professor Viktor Roth (Frank Morgan) lives with his wife, 2 step sons, daughter and young son in a comfortable home in a university town in the Alps. Although the word is never mentioned, it is clear Professor Roth is Jewish and his life becomes endangered when the Nazis take over. While his 2 stepsons join the party, as does Fritz, his daughter's fiance (played by Robert Young), his daughter and their old family friend Martin (played by Jimmy Stewart) defy the common tide and resist joining the party. And it is Jimmy Stewart who expresses it best - by saying freedom to believe as a person wants to is food and drink to him. And it turns out, it's food and drink to Freya Roth (played by Margaret Sullavan), the young daughter to whom he is attracted. She breaks her engagement to Fritz and escapes -- or tries to -- with Martin. He had already fled to still free Austria while helping a Jewish school teacher escape.

This movie says much about what we take for granted - the sacredness of the right to act, believe, speak and think as a person wishes to, unencumbered by government dictates or threats. These gifts are precious and we have no idea just how precious until they are threatened. If, God forbid, that should ever happen, it is only hoped we have the same courage as young Freya and Martin.

This movie is compelling in a quiet way. There are no shoot 'em ups, no gory prison or execution scenes, no barbarity is shown. But it is there nevertheless and perhaps that is what makes the viewer keep watching. The only drawback is that it was written in 1940 so viewers back then don't really know the ending because the war had another 4 y ears to go and victory was by no means certain in 1940. The U.S. hadn't entered the war yet but word was leaking out as to what was really going on in Germany at the time. It's a shame more people didn't listen and that more people didn't pay attention to the message delivered in such a subtle way in this movie.

I have been an avid film buff for many years, and I thought I had seen all of the best, until I first saw "The Mortal Storm" in 1989 on late night television. This film which is from the novel by Phyllis Bottome, is without question one of the most well constructed films I have ever seen. This film was produced and released in 1940, before World War II was declared, and was a very courageous undertaking, considering the subject matter. But then Metro Goldwyn Mayer was noted for doing almost the impossible. The character study of these individuals, whose lives are totally disrupted is remarkable. This film should be shown to every student who is learning the true facts about world history. Personally I rate this film with an A+.

It's 1933 southern Germany. Professor Roth (Frank Morgan) is beloved by his students. Hitler comes to power and most of his students are overjoyed. Student Martin Breitner (James Stewart) is a pacifist and much more cautious. His friends keep trying to recruit him but he resists. The professor's daughter Freya Roth (Margaret Sullavan) cancels her engagement to Fritz who has become a Nazi fanatic. Family friend Werner comes to the Breitners and seeks safe harbor from arrest. Martin guides him to Austria through a mountain pass. Then Professor Roth is himself arrested.

This is an early anti-Nazi film and one of the best at its time. It does pull back a couple of punches but it lands a lot of great hits. It doesn't state right out that the Roth are Jewish or not. The most compelling is when the Nazis confront Professor Roth in his class. It has a similar echo for today when scientific facts are once again challenge without reason. It is emotional and compelling historically. It was very relevant in its day and still relevant today.

Brave, hard-hitting adaptation of Phyllis Bottoms' novel concerns tight-knit German family in 1933 Europe who are suddenly (and violently) torn apart by the Nazis after Hitler rises to power. A shattering chapter in history is vividly recalled by director Frank Borzage and a terrific cast including James Stewart, Margaret Sullavan, Robert Young, Robert Stack, and Frank Morgan. MGM production was banned in Germany and, in fact, caused all MGM product to be banned there for several years! Story of family love overcome by war and power has not aged a bit, with haunting scenes and fine b&w cinematography. *** from ****

Great movie showing the beginnings of a transformation of a democracy to tyrannical rule. Interesting that the first stage was the intolerance of any dissenting views and opinions. Any democratic country MUST preserve freedom of speech and oppose any political party of movement or company that seeks to silence based on political views. Every American should watch this movie!

Frank Morgan (Professor Roth) is a respected German Scientist/Biology Lecturer. The film starts on his 60th birthday in 1933 – the same day that Adolf Hitler assumes the Chancellorship of Germany. Uh-oh…. Maybe things won't be the same.

This film entertains as it shows the bullying power (Nazis) that can be very scary – in any walk of life. The satisfaction comes from the fight back, in this film, led by James Stewart (Martin Breitner) and his mother Maria Ouspenskaya (Mrs Breitner).

A scene that stands out for me is the mock wedding that is staged by Ouspenskaya as she unites her son, James Stewart, and his wife-to-be Margaret Sullavan (Freya) at her home before the two lovers embark upon their escape. The scene is played with sentimentality at first that may make you feel that you are embarking upon some kind of nonsense…until you realize that this is Ouspenskaya's last moment that she can share in happiness. Very touching.

What is interesting is this film as a document of a time gone by with how things were in Nazi times. There will always be suppression in some form across the globe. I felt that the film delivers a standard ending, however, but the tears should be saved for Maria Ouspa and her fate.

This film was a powerful indictment of the growing Nazi menace designed as a warning to wake up a complacent America which was steeped in isolationism at the time. MGM had been avoiding making such films, although Warner Brothers had made several that overtly criticized fascism by 1940.

The film opens with the 60th birthday party of an imminent German professor. His wife, two stepsons, and his son and daughter are at the table. This happy family moment is meant to contrast with the rest of the film, which is a downhill slide into intolerance and fear from that point forward, as Adolph Hitler is named chancellor of Germany that very night.

Margaret Sullavan plays the professor's grown daughter, engaged to Robert Young who turns out to be a fanatical party member who sees obeying as a duty above all else. James Stewart is the family friend and geeky guy who loves Sullavan's character from afar and also loves democracy and hates bullies - things that will get you in trouble in 1930s Germany. The role of the Jewish college professor who refuses to bend his teaching to suit government beliefs is probably the best of Frank Morgan's career. It's a good serious role for someone so often relegated to the comic relief at MGM.

Other people have said that the word "Germany" is never used, but I am almost sure I heard it. For sure, everything else said certainly indicates without doubt that this is the country that is being talked about. The one thing the film does not do is mention the Jews specifically and the danger that they are in under the new regime. The closest the film comes is Sullavan's character talking to Robert Young about "her people".

The film is a powerful one, and includes a good but brief supporting role for Maria Ouspenskaya as the mother of James Stewart's character. She is no frail old woman - she knows what is at stake and what she is up against. You get the feeling she has seen authoritarian governments come and go before.

Highly recommended - it packs a powerful and heart rending punch.

A good film by Frank Borzage, curiously a director who has won 2 Oscars and is practically a stranger. We have seen many films in the second war but few on the awakening of Nazism, when Hitler comes to power in 1933, and the consequences of this in Germany itself, particularly in the families and relations between people, depending on the position of each on ideology of Hitler and Nazism. The first half of the film is extremely well made and credible, with Hitler's supporters wanting to impose the new ideology by force on those who do not refer to that ideology. We see that, very quickly, non-supporters of the regime were persecuted, arrested and even murdered. Hitler's doctrine was quickly assimilated by much of the German youth of the time. Thankfully there were exceptions such as the cases of the characters played by James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan, in the figure of two in love that Nazism in Germany threatens to separate. All these aspects are shown very convincingly in the first half of the film. The second half of the movie does not have the same level as the first, being a bit melodramatic and dragged. The film culminates in a beautiful scene filmed by Borzage, with the leading pair, on the run, "getting lost" in the snow...

Released in the early days of the Second World War, this piece of ham-handed propaganda is truly awful. Starring Frank Morgan, fresh off his role as the Wizard of Oz, along with a young Jimmy Stewart, the story revolves around a very well respected professor who is idolized by the town, his family, his students and his colleagues. Then, literally overnight, they all turn against him as Adolf Hitler is sworn into office in 1933. Apparently in Germany at that time, everyone instantly became uniform-wearing Nazi stormtroopers. Robert Young (better known as Marcus Welby, MD) ironically plays a medical student who immediately becomes nothing more than a party thug, as does Robert Stack (aka Eliot Ness). Longtime character actor Ward Bond plays another Nazi, although he is able to pull it off slightly better than the other two. Jimmy Stewart is the Good Guy, and he does a passable job with the material he is given. Sadly, even he is unable to rescue this train wreck. The characters are one-dimensional, the story is 10th-grade drama club bad, and the propaganda is like a sledgehammer. Perhaps that is what was necessary during that time, but it pales badly next to other wartime classics such as Casablanca. It is somewhat entertaining to see so many recognizable actors in other roles, but this film is ultimately a waste of time.